Denver Nuggets guard Markus Howard blocks the path to the basket against Orlando Magic forward Chuma Okeke in the second half Wednesday at Orlando, Fla. John Raoux/Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Cole Anthony scored 24 points, Wendell Carter Jr. added 18 and the Orlando Magic rallied from an early 16-point deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets 108-103 on Wednesday night and end their seven-game losing streak.

The Magic took their first lead of the night at 106-103 when rookie Franz Wagner drilled a step-back 3-pointer with 1:45 to play. Wagner had 15 points, and his brother, Moritz Wagner, chipped in 12 points off the bench.

Denver’s final chance fell way short when Will Barton’s 25-foot shot with 2 seconds remaining badly missed the rim.

Anthony, who returned after missing the previous six games with an ankle injury, had his ninth 20-point game and chipped in eight rebounds and seven assists.

Orlando outscored Denver 32-20 in the third quarter and dominated the fourth to win for the first time since Nov. 17 in New York. Also, the Magic won for just the second time at home all season – both victories coming as a result of fourth-quarter rallies against Western Conference powerhouse teams.

BUCKS 127, HORNETS 125: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored on a driving layup with two seconds left to give host Milwaukee its eighth straight win.

Antetokounmpo had 40 points and 12 rebounds and Khris Middleton added 21 points for the Bucks.

LaMelo Ball had a career-high 36 points for the Hornets.

WIZARDS 115, TIMBERWOLVES 107: Montrezl Harrell scored 27 points and Bradley Beal added 19 to lift Washington over visiting Minnesota.

Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns had to leave the game with 2:14 remaining after injuring himself on a dunk.

Towns scored only two of his 34 points in the final period – and that was when he got free along the baseline for a dunk. After slamming the ball through, his momentum caused his body to fall horizontally and he appeared to land on his tailbone.

HAWKS 114, PACERS 111: Trae Young made two crucial free throws in the final seconds of the game to help Atlanta beat host Indiana.

Pacers rookie Chris Duarte came up with a steal late in the game, but was unable to convert a contested layup. Young was subsequently fouled and made the final two of his 33 points.

After the final buzzer, Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle yelled at the referees about the lack of a call on the Duarte drive.

Young also had 10 assists and eight rebounds for the Hawks, who shot 51.2% (44 of 86), including 16 of 33 on 3-pointers. Young found backcourt mate Kevin Huerter for several open looks as Huerter finished with 19 points, and John Collins scored 14.

MAVERICKS 139, PELICANS 107: Luka Doncic scored 18 of his team-high 28 points in the first quarter and dished out 14 assists in 27 minutes to power Dallas to a win at New Orleans.

ROCKETS 114, THUNDER 110: Jae’Sean Tate scored a career-high 32 points and added 10 rebounds, seven assists and five blocked shots, sparking a fourth-quarter rally to lead short-handed Houston over host Oklahoma City .

The Rockets won their fourth straight and the Thunder dropped their seventh in a row.

Houston played without two starters in the second half.

NOTES

HEAT: Bam Adebayo needs surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb and is likely out until at least mid-January.

It’s the first major injury of Adebayo’s five pro seasons. He’s averaging a career-best 18.7 points for Miami this season, along with 10.2 rebounds per game.

Adebayo, an Olympic gold medalist this summer, was injured in Monday’s loss to Denver. He underwent tests Tuesday and Wednesday to determine the full scope of the injury, and it was determined that he tore the ulnar collateral ligament.

The timetable for his return isn’t expected to be finalized until after surgery, which has been scheduled for Sunday. The initial prognosis from the team calls for him to miss around six weeks.

Such a timeframe would have Adebayo missing somewhere between 20 and 25 games.

TRAIL BLAZERS: Guard Damian Lillard is out for at least 10 days because of lower abdominal tendinopathy.

Lillard missed Tuesday night’s victory over the Detroit Pistons with the condition. An MRI confirmed the diagnosis, the Blazers announced.

Lillard will be evaluated again in 10 days. He will miss at least four upcoming games.